The issues of fight against terrorism and uncontrolled immigration were among the key issues on the agenda of the G8 heads of parliaments, who met at the Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. In July St. Petersburg hosted a G8 summit as Russia holds this year a rotating chair in the organization.
"As for the definite results, I would say it was a principal agreement to move toward the unification of national legislations in the fight against terrorism and uncontrolled immigration," Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, said. "We agreed to begin with exchange of national legislation acts, to form a base of accumulated experience and to lead the legislation to its unification."
But he added that the issue was not about the unification of the G8 member states' political systems.
Kosachev said Russia was interested in experience of other countries in the fight against terrorism, particularly the experience of Britain, which had prevented a number of terrorist attacks.
"We are particularly interested in Great Britain's experience in the sphere of video surveillance in public places," he said and added that the issue was delicate and needed to be studied.
In August this year London police reported that a terrorist conspiracy involving up to 21 people had been foiled. They said the suspects had planned to bring explosives on board in hand luggage and to set them off on flights to the United States.
He also said that illegal migration remained a big problem for Russia, which required decisive steps to resolve it.
"Illegal migration has been and still is a big problem and a source of organized crime and drug trafficking," Kosachev said but added that "Russia would not resolve its demographic problem without attracting labor resources to the country."
Russia is facing a demographic crisis - the UN has suggested that its population of 142 million could fall by a third by 2050 - and migration has been touted as one way to makeup for the shortfall.
